Race Result

Racer:	Dario Tirado
Race:	Yuengling Shamrock Marathon - Half Marathon
Date:	Sunday, March 18, 2007
Location:	Virginia Beach, VA
Race Type:	Run - Half Marathon
Age Group:	Male 35 - 39
Time:	1:36:39
Overall Place:	205 / 1976
Age Group Place:	36 / 346
Comment:	Life Happens Fast

Race Report:

Goal time: 1:35 (7:16/mile pace)
Actual time: 1:36:39 (7:23/mile pace)

While this was a c-level race (no tapering at all – just mix it in w/scheduled training) for me, I was really looking forward to it since I hadn’t raced since the Rotary Resolution 10K on New Year’s Day. In addition, Aly, my girlfriend, and I were also looking forward to enjoying a couple of days at the beach together.

My training leading up to the week b/f the half marathon had been steady and progressing well enough that I believed my goal time was reasonable regardless of not tapering for the race. I was expecting another good week of training with a solid race performance to cap off the week, plus some nice downtime w/Aly at the beach.

Life Happens Fast

On the Monday b/f the half marathon, I woke up congested and with a cough. My throat was starting to get scratchy on Sunday so I wasn’t surprised. “Big deal,” I thought. After all, who among us hasn’t trained/raced through a cold? A little additional sleep, lots of liquids and eating really well should keep the cold in check.

The strategy was sound - except for the fact that I had the full-fledged flu. In a nutshell, my week consisted of: congestion, chills, muscle aches, high fever, extreme tiredness, a relentless hacking cough and very little sleep. As far as training, I was able to get a short run and bike in b/f the flu started kicking my butt Monday evening.

Friday

The muscle aches, chills and high fever had pretty much subsided by Friday. However, the coughing and congestion had worsened. I was having coughing fits that just went on and on. A family friend who is a doc told me that there was a lot of excess fluid/mucus that had built up in my lungs which was why I has having these terrible coughing fits.

I was hoping I would have enough of the junk out of my lungs by Sunday to race. Aly and I drove down Friday evening, got some dinner and went straight to bed.

Saturday

Got up early and went to cheer on the runners participating in the 8K race that morning. Seeing the 8K runners and cheering for them helped to get me positive and excited for Sunday’s race. My coughing was still pretty bad and had actually woken me up (again) but I figured I had a whole 24 hrs to improve b/f the half marathon.

The coughing didn’t get any better. It actually seemed to be getting worse in the evening. Aly and I made a run to the local grocery store at 10:30 that night to get some Mucinex to help get the junk out of my lungs. I was feeling pretty negative and tired. Aly was positive and reaffirming about my conditioning and overall training leading up to the race. We decided I would evaluate my racing status in the morning.

Sunday – Half Marathon

Got out of bed at 5 a.m. but my coughing woke me up at 3:30 and I couldn’t fall back asleep so I just tried to relax and meditate on running a solid race until the alarm went off. Then I had a very light breakfast and took a really hot shower. I was determined to complete the half marathon, even if it meant I had to walk and cough the whole race.

At 6 a.m. I headed out to the start line. Aly offered more words of encouragement and promised to be waiting for me at the finish line no matter what. Our room was right on the boardwalk not far from the start line so I used the 15 minute walk to go over my race strategy: negative splits. I decided I would go out a 7:30 mile pace. Then I would reevaluate the pace at the first mile marker to determine if I should maintain, increase, or decrease the pace for the first half of the race. I also kept in mind that I would have to run a faster pace for the second half of the race.

It was a beautiful walk up the boardwalk. Dawn was just starting to break over the ocean and I could hear the people and see the lights at the starting line. The other runners, the lights, and the jamming music really helped to get the adrenaline flowing for the race. The low fly over by two fighter jets over the starting line just b/f the start of the race kicked butt, too.

7 a.m. – start time

I went out as planned. I hit my 7:30 pace for the first mile and decided to hold it for the first half. I had only coughed a few times but nothing bad. I was really focusing on keeping a steady and unlabored breathing pattern. I hit mile marker 6 at just under 45:00 and I was feeling good. I was coughing a little but still nothing bad at all. I decided to hold my pace until the 7 mile marker.

I hit the 7 mile marker at 52: 25 and then picked up my pace. I felt strong and my breathing was still steady and easy so I just kept thinking about picking off more of the runners in front of me with each additional mile. I hit the 12 mile marker at 1:28:59 and just pushed the pedal to the ground. I wanted to finish with my tank empty – so much for steady and easy breathing.

I crossed the finish line w/my tank empty and promptly had a huge coughing fit. I had to sit down for 10 or 15 minutes waiting for the coughing fit to pass. Afterwards, Aly and I went to the heated tent on the beach that was right next to the finish line for some beef stew and beer.

At some of the water stations on the course, beer was being provided right along with water and Gatorade. It was hard to pass by but I promised myself I would have a few after the race. I was happy to find out that each runner got five beer tickets but Aly only let me have one b/c I still wasn’t doing too well with the coughing and the muscles in my thigh had tighten up so I wasn’t too balance when walking. Aly is the smart one in our relationship =)

Overall this was a great experience. I ran a smart race and did pretty well considering the situation. I got some strength out of this.

It also helped a lot that the organizers and volunteers at the Shamrock Sportsfest provided a very well run and fun race. I would definitely recommend it to other folks. The course itself is out and back and pretty flat. It finishes on the boardwalk but you get some nice views of the ocean even b/f the boardwalk finish.

Now the focus is back to the Kinetic Half which is only five weeks away.